JP7789346B2 - Cultivation facilities for shade-loving or semi-shade-loving plants - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a facility for cultivating shade-loving or semi-shade plants, and in particular to an agricultural greenhouse for cultivating such plants, which is equipped with a lighting structure optimal for cultivating such plants.

Panax ginseng (also known as Korean ginseng or Korean ginseng), a plant of the Araliaceae family and the genus Panax, has been used medicinally since ancient times, and today is widely used as a pharmaceutical ingredient, health food, and food. Because ginseng will wither if exposed to sunlight for long periods of time, ginseng cultivation areas generally have shade roofs to protect the ginseng from direct sunlight. Known examples of this type of shade roof include those made from thatch or rice straw.

In addition, cultivation systems for ginseng have also been proposed in the past. For example, Patent Document 1 (Publication No. 2013-108620) proposes a plant cultivation system that suppresses growth variations among shade plants or semi-shade plants cultivated in the same cultivation area. The system includes a solar panel and a support member for supporting the solar panel, with a cultivation area for shade plants or semi-shade plants formed below the solar panel.

In addition, technologies have also been proposed in the past regarding lighting structures for agricultural greenhouses, although this is not limited to use in cultivating ginseng. For example, Patent Document 2 (JP 2020-174558 A) proposes a lighting structure for an agricultural greenhouse, which has a greenhouse body whose opposing side surfaces in the north-south direction, opposing gables in the east-west direction, and roof surface are each covered with translucent materials, and inside the greenhouse body are multiple east-west cultivation beds lined up in the north-south direction. The lighting structure for an agricultural greenhouse proposes a lighting structure for an agricultural greenhouse, in which a light-transmitting curtain that can move back and forth in the north-south direction is provided along the side surfaces and roof surface on the outside of the greenhouse body, the light-transmitting curtain basically having light-blocking properties and having east-west slit-shaped light-transmitting sections aligned in the north-south direction only in the portion corresponding to the roof surface, the number of which corresponds to the number of cultivation beds, lined up in the north-south direction. Inside the greenhouse body, a long mirror aligned in the east-west direction is provided at a position corresponding to the light-transmitting section and is rotatable around an axis of rotation along the east-west direction. The position of the light-transmitting section on the roof surface of the light-transmitting curtain and the angle of the mirror are controlled so that sunlight entering through the light-transmitting section is reflected by the mirror and directed toward the cultivation beds.

Re-table No. 2013-108620 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-174558

The plant cultivation system described in Patent Document 1 reduces variations in plant growth by creating a cultivation area for shade plants or semi-shade plants below the solar panels. However, since sunlight does not directly irradiate the area, it cannot be ruled out that bacteria such as mold may grow, which may result in the plants not growing healthily.

Therefore, one of the objectives of the present invention is to provide a cultivation facility and cultivation method for shade or semi-shade plants that can irradiate sunlight onto the medium in which shade or semi-shade plants are grown in order to suppress the growth of mold and other diseases, and that can also control the duration and amount of sunlight exposure.

The lighting structure for the agricultural greenhouse described in Patent Document 2 has lighting curtains on the outside of the greenhouse body that can move back and forth in the north-south direction along the sides and roof surface, and slit-shaped light-transmitting sections that run east-west only in the area corresponding to the roof surface, aligned in the north-south direction in a number corresponding to the number of cultivation beds. However, inside the greenhouse body, long mirrors running east-west are installed in positions corresponding to the light-transmitting sections, and are rotatable around an axis of rotation that also runs east-west, so that sunlight entering through the light-transmitting sections is reflected by the mirror and directed toward the cultivation beds, making the long mirrors essential for irradiating sunlight.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a cultivation facility and cultivation method for shade or semi-shade plants that can be easily and inexpensively constructed, can irradiate sunlight onto the medium in which shade or semi-shade plants are grown, and can further control the duration and amount of sunlight irradiation.

To solve at least one of the above problems, the present invention provides a cultivation facility for shaded or semi-shade plants that controls the area irradiated with sunlight according to the movement of the sun, and controls the irradiation time depending on the size of the irradiated area.

In other words, the facility for cultivating shade or semi-shade plants according to the present invention consists of a culture medium for cultivating shade or semi-shade plants and a roof covering the culture medium, with north-south openings extending north-south or scattered across the roof at predetermined intervals in the east-west direction, and transparent or semi-transparent lighting panels installed in the north-south openings.

In such a cultivation facility, it is desirable that the culture medium for cultivating the shaded or semi-shade plants be formed so that it is as wide as the length of the area irradiated with sunlight coming in through the opening (i.e., the length of the north-south opening) and extend in the north-south direction, which is the direction of movement of the sun.

In this cultivation facility, it is also desirable to be able to adjust the sunlight transmittance of the lighting panels as desired. Lighting panels with the desired transmittance can be formed so that they are interchangeable, or multiple lighting panels can be formed so that they can be stacked.

In this cultivation facility, it is desirable to adjust the north-south opening width in the north-south direction according to the amount of sunlight the plants receive in the medium, adjust the spacing in the east-west direction according to the amount of sunlight, and adjust the spacing between the medium and the north-south openings according to the amount of sunlight. Furthermore, since the angle of sunlight changes with the seasons, it is also desirable to make the length and position of the north-south openings adjustable, or to provide a position adjustment unit that allows for arbitrary adjustment of the relative position (vertical and/or horizontal) between the roof and the medium.

Furthermore, in the cultivation facility, it is desirable to provide the north-south openings with at least one of an opening width adjustment unit that adjusts the opening width in the north-south direction, a light transmittance adjustment unit that changes the light transmittance of the lighting panels installed in the openings, and an opening spacing adjustment unit that adjusts the spacing between the openings in the east-west direction.

In addition, in order to control the amount and/or range of sunlight irradiated onto the culture medium in the cultivation facility, the roof can be configured to have multiple north-south openings extending north-south or scattered east-west, and any of these openings can be selectively shaded. The openings can be shaded by covering the outside or inside of the openings with boards or sheets, or by installing curtains or blinds.

Furthermore, in the cultivation facility, the culture medium is arranged in multiple tiers in the vertical direction, and the roof portion is provided with east-west openings extending in the east-west direction or scattered therein, and it is also desirable to arrange the east-west openings so that direct sunlight entering through the east-west openings irradiates areas other than the culture medium.

Furthermore, in a multi-tiered cultivation facility where multiple culture media are arranged vertically, a highly light-reflecting material can be provided in the area irradiated with sunlight from the east-west openings so that light can be irradiated to culture media other than the top tier. For example, if sunlight entering through the east-west openings illuminates a passageway, a highly light-reflecting sheet, such as white, can be installed in the passageway. Furthermore, in such a multi-tiered cultivation facility, a light source can be provided to irradiate culture media other than the top tier. Such a light source can be a light fixture such as an incandescent bulb, fluorescent lamp, or LED.

Furthermore, the height of at least one of the culture medium and the roof portion can be freely adjusted. By adjusting the height of the culture medium or the roof portion, the relative distance between the two can be adjusted, thereby adjusting the area irradiated by sunlight irradiated from the north-south opening and the east-west opening.

It is also desirable to install the roof at an angle to avoid the risk of rain leaks. The roof angle can be adjusted as needed depending on the required area of the culture medium, whether there is snow accumulation, etc.

It is also desirable to install exterior walls or waterproof sheets around the culture medium in such a cultivation facility to prevent rainwater from entering. In particular, using a light-blocking material for the exterior walls or waterproof sheets makes it easier to control the amount of light in the cultivation environment for shade-loving or semi-shade-loving plants.

In order to solve at least one of the above problems, the present invention provides a method for cultivating shade or semi-shade plants, in which shade or semi-shade plants grown in a culture medium are directly irradiated with sunlight that has passed through a transparent or semi-transparent lighting panel, and the daily irradiation dose of the plants is set to 100 lx or more and 500 lx or less.

The cultivation facility for shade or semi-shade plants of the present invention has north-south openings on the roof that extend or are scattered in the north-south direction, spaced at predetermined intervals in the east-west direction. This allows sunlight taken in through these north-south openings to be irradiated onto the culture medium. The irradiated area of sunlight taken in through these north-south openings is strip-shaped or scattered, and moves north-south in accordance with the movement of the sun. Therefore, by forming the culture medium for cultivating the shade or semi-shade plants so that it has the same width as the length of the irradiated area of sunlight taken in through the openings (i.e., the length of the north-south openings) and extends in the north-south direction, which is the direction of movement of the sun, the irradiated area of sunlight can be moved along the length of the culture medium. The exposure time of plants planted in the culture medium can be adjusted by adjusting the opening width of the north-south openings.

The present invention therefore provides a cultivation facility and method for shade or semi-shade plants that can control the exposure time and amount of sunlight to the medium in which shade or semi-shade plants are grown, without the need for equipment such as mirrors.

The north and south openings are fitted with transparent or translucent lighting panels, which not only allow the amount of light passing through the openings to be controlled by the light transmittance of the lighting panels, but also prevent rainwater from entering.

In particular, the north-south openings can be adjusted in width in the north-south direction according to the hours of sunlight for the plants grown in the medium, and the installation spacing in the east-west direction can be adjusted according to the hours of sunlight. The spacing between the medium and the north-south openings can also be adjusted according to the hours of sunlight, thereby optimizing the amount of sunlight irradiated on the plants according to the season.

Furthermore, in a multi-tiered cultivation facility where multiple culture media are arranged vertically, the roof can be provided with east-west openings that extend in the east-west direction or are scattered throughout, allowing direct sunlight entering through the east-west openings to illuminate areas other than the culture media. In a multi-tiered cultivation facility configured in this way, reflected sunlight entering through the east-west openings can be supplied to culture media located below the top tier. Therefore, even in a multi-tiered cultivation facility, plants planted in culture media on each tier can be grown in an optimal environment.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a cultivation facility according to a first embodiment; 1 is a plan view of a cultivation facility according to a first embodiment; A vertical cross section from east to west showing the sunlight irradiation status of the culture medium A longitudinal cross section of the north-south direction showing the sunlight irradiating the culture medium A longitudinal cross-sectional view of the main part in the north-south direction showing the illumination from the north and south openings based on the angle of sunlight. FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a cultivation facility according to another embodiment. FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view showing a cultivation facility according to still another embodiment.

The cultivation facility 10 for shade or semi-shade plants according to this embodiment and the cultivation method using the same will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings. In particular, the cultivation facility 10 according to this embodiment is a cultivation facility 10 suitable for cultivating ginseng as a shade or semi-shade plant.

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a cultivation facility 10 according to a first embodiment, and Figure 2 is a plan view of the cultivation facility 10. The cultivation facility 10 shown in this embodiment is a multi-tiered cultivation facility 10 in which culture media 30 for growing ginseng are arranged in two vertical tiers. The two tiers of culture media 30 are arranged in multiple rows extending north-south, with passages provided between each row for cultivation management.

Support posts 40 are provided around the culture medium 30, and these support posts 40 support the roof portion 20. The support posts 40 need only be able to support the roof portion 20 and the culture medium 30, and can be made of metal pipes or wood. The roof portion 20, which is supported by the support posts 40, is sloped to prevent rainwater from dripping onto the culture medium 30. However, the slope of the roof portion 20 can be adjusted as desired depending on the roofing material, whether it is waterproofed, and whether there is snow accumulation. In addition to components provided as building materials, materials not commonly used as roofing materials in general buildings, such as plywood, can also be used as roofing materials. The roof portion 20 only needs to block sunlight and function as a rain shelter, except for the openings described below.

This roof section 20 has multiple north-south openings 21 extending in the north-south direction, running east-west. While these north-south openings 21 are formed as elongated rectangles in the north-south direction, they are not necessarily limited to this shape and may also be formed as curved strips or ellipses. Furthermore, these north-south openings 21 can also be formed with a wider or narrower width at any position. For example, the north-south openings 21 may be formed with a wider or narrower opening width near the center in the longitudinal direction.

The north-south openings 21 may exist as holes opening into the roof portion 20, and may be formed as openings in the roof portion or as gaps between the plates that make up the roof portion 20. In particular, when forming north-south openings 21 as gaps between the plates that make up the roof portion 20, the roofing materials that make up the roof portion 20 can be fixed apart by the distance of the north-south openings 21. Furthermore, the north-south openings 21 may be formed as openings extending in the north-south direction, or they may be formed as small openings arranged in the north-south direction, or they may be formed as scattered openings. In other words, the openings may be formed in any shape appropriate for the plants being cultivated, as long as they can irradiate sunlight onto a specified area.

The roof portion 20 is provided with an east-west opening 22 extending in the east-west direction. This east-west opening 22 is formed so that sunlight passing through it is irradiated onto passageways or the like existing between the culture mediums 30. As long as the east-west opening 22 allows sunlight to pass through, it can be formed in a variety of shapes, such as a strip-like shape or scattered openings. In particular, sunlight entering through the east-west opening 22 can be reflected onto passageways or the like, allowing sunlight to irradiate the culture medium 30 below the top level (the first level of culture medium 30).

The north-south opening 21 and the east-west opening 22 are each provided with a daylighting panel 23 that can transmit sunlight. The daylighting panels 23 may be transparent or translucent plates or sheets, and their light transmittance may be adjusted to any desired value. Furthermore, the daylighting panels 23 can be detachably attached to the openings 21 and 22, and daylighting panels 23 with different light transmittances can be installed depending on the season. In particular, since the cultivation facility 10 in this embodiment is a ginseng cultivation facility 10, it is desirable to use a resin plate with a light transmittance of approximately 50% to 70%. Furthermore, the light transmittance of the daylighting panels 23 installed in the north-south opening 21 and the east-west opening 22 can be different. For example, the daylighting panels 23 installed in the east-west opening 22 can be high- or low-light transmittance panels. Furthermore, the light transmittance of the daylighting panels 23 installed in the north-south opening 21 can be different for each installation area. For example, lighting panels 23 with high light transmittance can be used in certain areas, and slow-growing or overgrown ginseng plants can be planted in areas irradiated by sunlight that passes through the lighting panels 23.

The culture medium 30 for cultivating ginseng as a shade or semi-shade plant is formed to extend in the east-west direction, with a width that allows it to be hit by the band of sunlight that shines through the north-south openings 21. Culture medium 30 can be covered with potting soil and ginseng can be planted directly thereon, or ginseng can be planted in a cultivation container 31 such as a planter. By using a cultivation container in particular, it is possible to prevent problems such as growth disorders caused by pests and continuous crop damage caused by disease bacteria and harmful nematodes.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the cultivation facility 10 according to the first embodiment. In particular, in the cultivation facility 10 shown in this figure, the light transmission of the lighting panels 23 that close the north-south openings 21 is different on the north and south sides. That is, the lighting panels 23 installed at the opening on the north side that guides sunlight to the culture medium 30 have a lower light transmission rate than the lighting panels 23 installed at the opening on the south side that guides sunlight to the culture medium 30. By combining lighting panels 23 with different light transmission rates in this way, it is possible to create different cultivation environments for each area, thereby controlling the growth conditions of plants. It is also desirable to install light transmission adjustment members 50, such as blinds, lace curtains, or colored films, on the lighting panels 23 installed at the openings to adjust the light transmission rate as desired.

Figure 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken in the east-west direction, showing how sunlight is irradiated onto the culture medium 30. As shown in this figure, sunlight entering through each of the north and south openings 21 irradiates the culture medium 30 located beneath the roof portion 20. At this time, the area illuminated by sunlight is the horizontal projection shape of the north and south openings 21, which in this embodiment is a rectangular band extending in the north-south direction. This band-shaped sunlight-irradiated area moves from west to east as the sun moves from east to west. Therefore, by adjusting the installation spacing of the north and south openings 21 and the distance between the roof portion 20 and the culture medium 30, sunlight can be irradiated onto the entire culture medium.

Furthermore, because sunlight is irradiated onto the culture medium 30 only while it is within the band-shaped sunlight irradiation area, the width (east-west width) of the north-south opening 21 can be used to control the sunlight irradiation time for a specific area of the culture medium 30. In other words, increasing the width of the north-south opening 21 can increase the sunlight irradiation time, while decreasing the width of the north-south opening 21 can decrease the sunlight irradiation time. Therefore, it is desirable to provide the north-south openings 21 with an opening width adjustment unit that adjusts the opening width in the north-south direction and an opening spacing adjustment unit that adjusts the spacing between the openings in the east-west direction. The opening width adjustment unit can be configured to change the opening width of the opening using a shielding member 60 such as a plate or shielding sheet, and the opening spacing adjustment unit can selectively block multiple north-south openings 21 or allow the area between the north-south openings in the roof to be flexible.

Figure 4 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view in the north-south direction showing how sunlight is irradiated onto the culture medium 30. The length of the north-south opening 21 is adjusted to match the north-south width of the culture medium 30, and it is formed as a rectangular strip that matches the north-south opening 21 so that sunlight irradiates the culture medium 30. In particular, when configured as a multi-tiered cultivation facility 10 as shown in Figure 4, sunlight entering through the north-south opening 21 can irradiate the culture medium 30 on the upper tier, but does not reach the culture medium 30 on the lower tier. Therefore, an east-west opening 22 extending in the east-west direction can be provided, and the light irradiated from there can be reflected by an aisle or the like so that sunlight can also reach the culture medium 30 on the lower tier. Therefore, to effectively reflect sunlight that enters through the east-west opening 22, it is desirable to provide a highly reflective material, such as a white sheet, or a scattering reflective material that scatters and reflects the irradiated light on the irradiated surface.

However, because the height of the sun changes with the seasons, the angle of irradiation from the north-south openings 21 also varies depending on the season. Therefore, it is desirable to be able to change the opening length (north-south length) of the north-south openings 21 and to be able to freely adjust the relative positional relationship between the culture medium 30 and the north-south openings 21.

Figure 5 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a key portion of the north-south opening 21, illustrating the illumination conditions from the north-south opening 21 based on the solar radiation angle. Figure 5(A) shows the illumination conditions when the solar radiation angle is large, i.e., when the radiation angle Θ1 is 78.4° at the summer solstice, while Figure 5(B) shows the illumination conditions when the solar radiation angle is small, i.e., when the radiation angle Θ2 is 31.6° at the winter solstice. As shown in Figure 5, the illumination range of sunlight entering through the north-south opening 21 varies depending on the solar radiation angle. Therefore, a retractable shading member 60, such as a blind, is provided at the north-south opening 21. When the solar radiation angle is small, the shading member 60 can be configured to advance in a direction that blocks the north-south opening 21 to limit the illumination area. Instead of providing the shading member 60, the tilt angle of the roof section 20 can also be adjusted. That is, when the solar radiation angle is small, the slope of the roof material can be reduced, resulting in a slope that is closer to flat.

Since the irradiated area shifts depending on the angle of sunlight irradiation, it is also desirable to configure the system so that the relative positional relationship between the culture medium 30 and the north-south openings 21 can be adjusted as desired. In this embodiment, casters are provided to allow the culture medium 30 to be slid and moved, but this can also be achieved by moving the planter 31 in which the ginseng is planted. Furthermore, the relative positional relationship between the culture medium 30 and the north-south openings 21 can be adjusted by sliding the roof portion 20 in the north-south direction, or by configuring the openings provided in the roof portion 20 to be movable.

As shown in Figure 5, by making the opening length (north-south length) of the north-south openings 21 freely adjustable and/or by making the relative positional relationship between the culture medium 30 and the north-south openings 21 freely adjustable, it is possible to ensure optimal sunlight irradiation time and irradiation area according to the irradiation angle, even if the sunlight irradiation angle changes depending on the season or installation area.

Figure 6 is a plan view showing a cultivation facility 10 according to another embodiment. In this embodiment, the north-south openings 21 formed in the roofing material are not arranged for each culture medium extending in the east-west direction, but are formed to extend the entire length of the cultivation facility 10. The east-west openings 22 are also formed to intersect with the north-south openings 21. Only the necessary areas of the north-south openings 21 are open to allow sunlight to pass through. Light transmittance adjusting members 50 with low light transmittance or light-blocking properties can be layered on any of the north-south openings 21. In particular, when cultivating ginseng, lighting panels 23 are provided at each north-south opening 21 to prevent rainwater from entering. Therefore, it is desirable to layer the light transmittance adjusting members 50 on the outside or inside of the lighting panels 23. By providing the light transmittance adjusting members 50, any of the north-south openings 21 can be blocked, thereby adjusting the spacing between the north-south openings 21. Therefore, even if the sunlight exposure time changes depending on the season, the sunlight exposure area can be adjusted accordingly.

Figure 7 is an exploded perspective view of a cultivation facility 10 according to yet another embodiment. In this embodiment, the roof 20 is composed of roofing materials 70 and the daylighting panels 23, and the north and south openings are secured between the roofing materials 70. The roofing materials 70 can be made of a material that at least blocks sunlight and prevents rainwater from entering. As mentioned above, the daylighting panels 23 can be made of transparent or translucent resin plates or sheets. However, since ginseng requires a cultivation period of three years or more to grow, it is desirable to use weather-resistant materials. Furthermore, while the shielding members 60 and daylighting panels 23 are arranged alternately in this embodiment, this arrangement is not necessarily required. Depending on the angle and duration of sunlight irradiation, the roofing materials 70 can be arranged adjacent to each other, or the daylighting panels 23 can be arranged adjacent to each other. Furthermore, in a cultivation facility 10 equipped with a roofing material 70 and the lighting panels 23 in this manner, the width or light transmittance of the roofing material 70 and the lighting panels 23 can be changed to any desired value depending on the duration and angle of sunlight exposure.

The cultivation facility for shade or semi-shade plants of the present invention can be used as a cultivation facility for shade or semi-shade plants such as ginseng, etc. It can also be used as a cultivation facility for other plants to control the exposure time and area of sunlight.

10 Cultivation facility 20 Roof portion 21 North-south opening 22 East-west opening 23 Lighting panel 30 Culture medium 31 Cultivation container 40 Support 50 Light transmittance adjusting member 60 Shielding member 70 Roof material

Claims (5)

A facility for cultivating shade or semi-shade plants,
It consists of a medium for cultivating shade or semi-shade plants and a roof part covering the top of the medium,
The roof has north-south openings extending in the north-south direction or scattered therein at predetermined intervals in the east-west direction,
The north and south openings are equipped with transparent or semi-transparent lighting panels,
A cultivation facility for shade or semi-shade plants, characterized in that the opening width or installation interval of the north-south openings, or the interval between the culture medium and the north-south openings, is adjusted according to the hours of sunlight for the plants planted in the culture medium.
The north and south openings include:
an opening width adjustment unit for adjusting the opening width in the north-south direction;
The cultivation facility of claim 1 , further comprising at least one of a light transmittance adjusting unit that changes the light transmittance of a lighting panel provided at the opening, and an opening spacing adjusting unit that adjusts the spacing between the openings in the east-west direction.
A plurality of the culture media are provided in the height direction,
The roof portion is provided with east-west openings extending in the east-west direction or scattered therein,
The cultivation facility according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein direct sunlight entering through the east-west openings irradiates areas other than the culture medium.
A plurality of the culture media are provided in the height direction,
A cultivation facility as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a material with high light reflectivity is provided in the area irradiated with sunlight from the east-west openings.
A method for cultivating shade or semi-shade plants, comprising:
Directly irradiate the shaded or semi-shaded plants planted in the medium with sunlight that has passed through transparent or semi-transparent lighting panels installed in the north-south openings of the roof covering the top of the medium ,
A method for cultivating shade or semi-shade plants, characterized in that the daily irradiation dose to the plants is set to 100 lx or more and 500 lx or less by adjusting the opening width or installation interval of the openings, or the interval between the culture medium and the north and south openings.